News Around The Hollow

Wittenberg Center For Musical Development Announces Fall Classes

Springfield, Ohio – The Wittenberg University Center for Musical Development (CMD) announces its fall 2012 music enrichment opportunities for children and adults. Pre-registration is underway, and pricing includes registration fees.

A new Jazz Ensemble Class requires that students read music and have an understanding of the harmonies and theory of jazz chord progressions. A predetermined set of Jazz Standards will be explored, having a variety of rhythms, tempos and time signatures. All instrumentalists, including singers, are welcome to sign up, but it is necessary to have a stand-up bass player and either a guitarist or piano player in order to proceed with the class. Songs will be rehearsed as written and then expanded into improvisation and arrangement. Classes meet from 3:30-5 p.m. every Saturday from Sept. 22 through Oct. 27 in room 303 Krieg Hall, with Janet Ogg providing instruction. The cost is $99.50 for six weeks.

Beginning Guitar Class teaches students to learn how to play the guitar by the method of reading music. Students will listen to each other and learn to execute notes, rhythm and harmony. Each student needs to bring an instrument and a blank manuscript book to class. Classes meet from 11 a.m.-noon every Saturday from Sept. 22 through Oct. 27, in room 303 Krieg Hall, with instruction provided by Janet Ogg. The cost is $99.50 for six weeks.

Snare Drum Class provides an introduction to reading basic notation and students will discover the importance of counting and experience the feeling of rhythm as they learn how to dismantle and re-assemble their drum with regard to proper tension and tuning. Students need to have their own instrument with stand and sticks. Classes meet from 12:30-1:30 p.m. every Saturday from Sept. 22 through Oct. 27 in room 303 Krieg Hall, with instruction provided by Janet Ogg. The cost is $99.50 for six weeks.

Songwriting Class teaches the rules of music writing without depending on a formula to portray ideas, and it addresses both music and lyrics. Each student needs a blank manuscript book. Classes meet from 2-3 p.m. every Saturday from Sept. 22 through Oct. 27 in 303 Krieg Hall, with instruction provided by Janet Ogg. The cost is $99.50 for six weeks.

Start-Up Piano Class for Ages 12 through Adults students learn to read music, musical notation, rhythms and vocabulary. Classes meet from 6-6:45 p.m. every Friday from Sept. 21 through Nov. 9 in room 301 Krieg Hall, with Jack McPeek providing instruction. Textbook for the class is The Older Beginner Piano Course WP 32, by James Bastien. The cost is $100 for eight weeks.

Beginning Piano Class for Elementary Age Students, grades K-6, offers first piano lessons in a small group setting to learn to read music and musical notation, find keyboard landmarks and play rhythms. Students will learn to play the piano in Wittenberg’s state-of-the-art piano lab. Classes meet from 5-5:45 p.m. every Tuesday from Sept. 18 through Nov. 6 in room 301 Krieg Hall, with Tonya Reynolds providing instruction. Textbook for the class is Bastien Basic Piano Primer Book (pink – $6.95). The cost is $100 for eight weeks.

Voice Class for All Ages teaches students to warm up and use proper diction and breathing to perform songs chosen by the teacher and the student. Classes meet from 6-7 p.m. every Tuesday from Sept. 11 through Oct. 16 in room 402 Krieg Hall, with Nancy Davis providing instruction. The cost is $99.50 for six weeks.

Appreciating Great American Pop Standards: 1920-1960 aims to enhance the student’s enjoyment of the greatest songs created during the Golden Age of this distinctively American musical form, now known as the Great American Songbook. Students will listen to examples from the “big six” composers and their collaborating lyricists and will analyze selected pieces for musical and lyrical structure. Emphasis will be on ballads about romantic love by Berlin, Kern, Porter, Rodgers, Mercer and others. Students will consider how this song form developed and how it relates to such other forms as ragtime, folk and rock. A basic reading knowledge of the treble clef is sufficient for participation. Classes meet from 7-8:30 p.m. every Tuesday from Sept. 25 through Nov. 13 in room 303 Krieg Hall, with Dean Emeritus Paul Parlato providing instruction. The cost is $50 for eight weeks.

Discovering Music for Young Children: Infant to Age 5 offers a musical experience for caregivers, parents or grandparents to enjoy with their children. Students participate at their level in singing, moving, chanting, listening to music and stories, watching or exploring musical instruments. Classes meet from 7-7:30 p.m. every Tuesday from Sept. 11 through Oct. 16 in room 402 Krieg Hall, with instruction provided by Nancy Davis. The cost is $53 for six weeks.

For more information or to register for classes, call the CMD office at 937-327-7050 or contact CMD Coordinator Nancy Davis by email at ndavis@wittenberg.edu. Space is limited, so those interested are encouraged to pre-register.